Galactic Magnetic Fields. I. Theoretical Model and Scaling Relations

Abstract

Galactic dynamo models have generally relied on input parameters that are very challenging to constrain. We address this problem by developing a model that uses observable quantities as input: the galaxy rotation curve, the surface densities of the gas, stars and star formation rate, and the gas temperature. The model can be used to estimate parameters of the random and mean components of the magnetic field, as well as the gas scale height, root-mean-square velocity and the correlation length and time of the interstellar turbulence, in terms of the observables. We use our model to derive theoretical scaling relations for the quantities of interest, finding reasonable agreement with empirical scaling relations inferred from observation. We assess the dependence of the results on different assumptions about turbulence driving, finding that agreement with observations is improved by explicitly modeling the expansion and energetics of supernova remnants. The model is flexible enough to include alternative prescriptions for the physical processes involved, and we provide links to two open-source python programs that implement it.

Keywords

• Spiral galaxies
• Galaxy magnetic fields
• Interstellar magnetic fields
• Interstellar medium
• Disk galaxies